Ah, welcome, welcome. You can call me… the Spy Master. I’m glad you could join this little… informal meeting. I was worried for a moment those whispering crystals would not work. You know Wizards and their creations -- so enamoured with the theory they never do proper field-testing…

But let’s get to the matter at hand. We’ll have opportunities later to bring you up to speed concerning the latest events. Suffice it to say that it’s been ten years since the assassination of the Holy Empress Maeve Falcon at the hand of infernal agents. Ten years during which the Holy Empire has been ripped apart by a gruesome war of succession, as every Duke went and unearthed old family ancestries to lay claim upon the vacant throne.

After countless battles, sieges, alliances, betrayals and treaties, only two contestants now remain: Seamus of the Stag, and Ivan of the Griffin. I invited you to this meeting because you share our goal: to ensure the Griffin takes the throne.

What you might not know is that Ivan is… plagued by doubt. Ten years of war have taken a toll on both his body and his soul. He’s ready to renounce the crown and remove his Griffin Duchy from the Empire.

But the stakes of this war are bigger than the borders of the Holy Empire. Allowing a man like Seamus on the imperial throne would be a disaster for all Ashan. Fortunately Ivan seems to realize this as well. He has gathered a council of his own, friends and allies from neighbouring nations, to collect their advice before he takes his decision.

I know from a firsthand source that the Wizards of the Silver Cities and the Necromancers of Heresh will both have a representative at Ivan’s council, so sparks are to be expected. Ivan’s master-of-arms, a proud descendant of the Whitespear clan, will be representing the Orc tribes. More interesting is the fact an Angel will also be seated at Ivan’s table, which hints at the possibility the Church of Light itself is not fully behind Seamus.

But that’s not all. I also heard that Ivan is about to send invitations to other nations as well. My information suggests he currently hesitates between sending a messenger to the Elves of Irollan or to the Dwarves of Grimheim. Clever choices -- both nations have fought the Stag armies in recent history. But if my informant is to be believed, Ivan will only invite the Elves
or the Dwarves, so I presume not to arouse Seamus’s suspicions.

This is a great opportunity for us to influence Ivan’s choice. And this is why I have gathered you here today, brothers and sisters. Who shall Ivan ally with? The Elves, or the Dwarves?

Make your voices heard!

SYLVAN

Elves have mostly kept to themselves since the Day of the Tears of Fire. The forests of Irollan have become hostile to foreigners, a green maze you do not enter uninvited. But they have always kept a vigilant eye on the Holy Empire - their big, noisy, intrusive neighbour. The Dukes of Stag have long been nibbling on Irollan’s borders, and there have been skirmishes in the past. The Elf High-King, Alaron, might consider sending an ambassador to Ivan’s council, if only to ensure the Empire won’t be ruled by someone he can’t trust.

From a military point of view, Elves would add adaptability to Ivan’s strategies. Elf warriors are designed for speed and striking power. They hate a stand-up fight and prefer guerilla tactics. Maneuverability is the key to Elf tactics - they are past masters of retreating to draw the enemy into an advantageous position for them. In a fight they concentrate on picking the enemy army apart. To an Elf general, the perfect battle is one in which the enemy never sees a single Elf…

FORTRESS

The Dwarves are only just recovering from Hathor Orlandsson’s tyrannical rule, a reign that strained the relationship between Grimheim and the Stag Duchy after Hathor’s warbands raided several Stag towns. Despite the truce that followed Hathor’s death and the election of a new King under the Mountain, Seamus has made no mystery of his desire to get his revenge against Arkath’s people. While we can be sure the Dwarves would rather stay in their mountains and leave Humans to their own devices, backing Ivan might be their only chance to avoid a full-fledged war with the Holy Empire.

Dwarves would make reliable allies as Dwarf warriors, while ferocious, are possessed of an uncanny discipline. They fight to the death, even when the odds are hopelessly against them. Dwarves particularly excel at sieges, with their engineers and sappers working relentlessly to undermine any fortifications they face. Which would be definitely become an asset if Ivan must conquer the impregnable walls of Horncrest, the Stag’s capitol.